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US marine's trial begins in Haditha case

Last member of squad accused of ambushing Iraqi civilians appears in court, six years after massacre.

05 Jan 2012 11:05 GMT

After six years of delays and appeals, the last soldier of an eight-man squad of the Marine Corps accused of ambushing unarmed civilians in Iraq and killing 24 - including, men, women and children - has finally appeared in court.

With charges having been dropped for six of the soldiers and one acquitted, Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich is the only man still on trial for their alleged "revenge" killings in the city of Haditha.

But the time lapse, faded memories and lost evidence may make conviction more difficult.